Our independent reviews and recommendations are funded in part by affiliate commissions, at no extra cost to our readers. Click to Learn More

Pros
- Performs well for some retail businesses
- Strong till features
- Built-in payment processing
Cons
- Not suitable for food sales, florists or services
- Requires barcoded products in whole quantities
Lightspeed is ideal for retail businesses with big inventories of barcoded items, such as sports stores, jewelry stores, clothing stores, toy and hobby stores, pet stores, or furniture sellers.
However, it doesn't work well with grocery stores, florists, pawnshops, antique stores, DIY stores, haberdasheries, warehouses, drop-shipping companies, or storage facilities. This is because it doesn't integrate with weighing scales, or offer fractional quantities or expiry dates for products.
We also wouldn't recommend Lightspeed for service-based businesses, such as hairdressers or tattoo parlors, while Lightspeed is unable to provide POS systems to businesses selling motorized vehicles, including boats.
While Lightspeed might not be able to serve every type of business on the market, those it can help will reap serious rewards. It has great business development features, including strong customer loyalty and CRM add-ons, as well as strong omnichannel capabilities including ecommerce and online ordering. It also has a very strong till, which your employees will find a joy to use.
With the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic seriously harming the bottom line of many a business, anything that can alleviate the challenges presented this year should be welcomed. Lightspeed POS won't fix everything, but it will certainly provide a pain-free POS system, allowing you to focus your attention on more important areas of your business – and you can now get started for free.
Our review unpacks the main features to expect from Lightspeed POS, before examining the support options available and how its price plans work.
Lightspeed POS Plans and Pricing
Lightspeed offers five pricing plans – Basic, Starter, Standard, Advanced and Pro – as well as bespoke options for Enterprises.
Lightspeed is relatively expensive compared to its competitors. We'd suggest that the Starter plan is likely to be the best fit for most businesses – ecommerce sales are essential at the moment, so it pays to have a POS that can integrate with your website.
Lightspeed Pricing Plans Comparison
Price (billed annually) The relative price-per-month when you choose annual billing | Price (billed monthly) How much you'll pay when you choose monthly billing | Transaction fees | Features | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Basic | Starter | Standard | Advanced | Pro | |
$69 | $99 | $119 | $169 | $229 | |
$79 | $119 | $139 | $189 | $259 | |
Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | Card-present rate: 2.6% + 10¢ | |
Access to Lightspeed's retail system and in-house payment processing. Plus, you get a free terminal! | Seamlessly sell online with Lightspeed ecommerce, plus access everything from the Basic plan. | Connect your accounting software for seamless and autonomous updating. | Customer loyalty recommendations let you give back to your biggest fans. | Analytics features help you find hidden insights in your sales data to optimize your business. |
Lightspeed Basic plan
The entry-level Basic tier is aimed at small businesses. It costs $69 per month when billed annually, or $79 when billed monthly. For that, customers get a retail POS and payments system with a free terminal included. Registers can be added for an extra $29 per month (this is true of all tiers).
You'll also have to decide whether your business uses the Lightspeed Payments system to process payments. Sticking with Lightspeed's own processor will make life easier, but if you choose to switch from Lightspeed at any point, there might be a bit more legwork involved. Lightspeed charges 2.6% + 10¢ for every transaction, which is fairly standard for the industry (Card-not-present rate: 2.6% + 30¢).
Lightspeed Starter plan
The Lightspeed Starter plan costs $99 per month with annual billing, or $119 with monthly billing. In addition to all the features you get with the Basic plan, it gives you the ability to hook up your online store sales to your in-person sales.
Lightspeed Standard plan
The Lightspeed Standard plan allows you to integrate a third-party accounting platform into Lightspeed. This should cut down on manual paperwork for you, though you'll have to pay $119 per month or $139 per month, depending on whether you choose annual or monthly billing.
Lightspeed Advanced plan
For $169 or $199 per month, you'll get the Advanced tier. This plan adds customer loyalty features, including a rewards program. This means Lightspeed will track your customers' purchases, and prompt you to reward your biggest fans with discounts, free gifts, or other nice treats.
Lightspeed Pro plan
The last of Lightspeed's fixed-price plans is the Pro tier. It costs $229 per month with annual billing, or $259 per month with monthly billing. With this plan, you'll be able to access and analyze sales data, which can help you optimize your operation.
Lightspeed Enterprise plan
There is also an Enterprise tier, which is aimed at large businesses. This is a bespoke package that will be designed around your business, and one that Lightspeed will price up for you on request.
Don't forget that there is a 14-day free trial that you can check out before committing to Lightspeed long term. You can get permanently free POS systems, too, but that isn't always the best idea.
Lightspeed Hardware Costs
Lightspeed offers hardware kits for iPads, MacOS devices, and Windows PCs, as well as selling compatible items individually.
However, it doesn't make the prices for these packages (or even the individual items) public – you'll have to head to the company directly for a quote.
Find out more about Lightspeed POS hardware below.
Lightspeed POS Pricing vs Competitors
Lightspeed, much to its chagrin we're sure, isn't the only POS company out there. In fact, the market is awash with POS companies claiming to offer you the best option for less.
So how does Lightspeed compare? It's a bit more expensive than some of its competitors, sure, but its quality of features and UI still make it a strong choice.
Lightspeed has also recently acquired ShopKeep and Upserve, two more specialized POS providers, which should see it bring some more features to the table soon.
Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Transaction fees | 24/7 support | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Lightspeed | Shopify POS | Vend POS | Square POS | |
$29 per month | $99 per month | Free (but transaction fees apply) | ||
|
| No transaction fees |
| |
Lightspeed POS: Core Features
Sales
Lightspeed POS users can create or search for a customer profile, before inputting the items they're buying or simply scanning them with a barcode scanner.
Once ready, the employee can ring up the order for credit, debit, check, cash, PayPal, or a combination. Then the staffer can either print or email the receipt.
Lightspeed also offers PCI-compliant payment processing, and a fully integrated system to protect from human error and fraud.




Customers
Customers can be tracked via Lightspeed's suite of CRM tools, allowing stores to give individual customers statuses like “VIP” or “regular”, and to create email lists for targeted marketing campaigns.
An individual customer's sales history allows managers to make smart decisions about which items are most popular, or which future purchases to suggest to a specific customer. Support for a customer loyalty or gift card program is also available.
The support is also omnichannel, meaning it will work for in-store and online sales, and work across email and direct messaging.
Inventory
Items can be quickly imported from a CSV or Excel file, and users can add additional style, size, and color specifications to each item.
In addition, pre-loaded catalogs available on the Lightspeed POS allow users to restock their inventory directly from the system. Inventory can also be checked from the mobile app while on the go.
What's more, Lightspeed has created its own Supplier Network, which allows businesses to access products from a number of dedicated suppliers. Products will be automatically integrated into your POS upon order, and you might even get them at reduced rates.
Ecommerce Integrations
A single store inventory can be sold both in-person and through an online storefront, for a consistent brand experience.
Customer data can be tracked across both channels as well, giving managers an accurate picture of their shopping habits. Websites can be set up easily through Lightspeed, thanks to the ready-made templates on offer. Integrations make it possible to sell directly through Facebook as well.
Lightspeed and WooCommerce Integration
Lightspeed has strong integration with ecommerce platform WooCommerce. It costs $149 per year to integrate the services but, in return, you'll have a seamlessly linked online store (through WooCommerce) and point of sale system (through Lightspeed).
Your inventory and sales will be automatically tracked, meaning that operating your online and offline businesses is far easier. Plus, it will make your business more defensible in the face of potential restrictions on in-person sales.
Reports
Data about customer and employee habits can be tracked and logged, meaning that trends will appear in the data over time. This allows managers to make intelligent decisions, with specific insights on factors including which employees clock in and out on time, which customers buy the most, and which items sell best on which day of the week. Accounting data can be automatically processed with integrations available from Lightspeed, and all reports can be exported to PDF or Excel.
Video: How to Make a Sale in Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Hardware
You don't need to invest in one of Lightspeed's hardware packages to use the system – you'll be able to get by with only an iPad, a MacOS device, or a Windows PC.
However, Lightspeed does offer a range of products that can make your life (and your customers' lives) so much easier.
For example, its iPad hardware kit includes a LAN receipt printer (with paper), a cash drawer, a Bluetooth scanner, and a branded iPad stand. Meanwhile, the desktop hardware kit includes a USB receipt printer, a cash drawer, and a USB scanner.
Find out more – Best iPad POS Apps 2021
Sadly, Lightspeed doesn't make its prices for these packages available publicly – you'll have to head to the company directly for a quote.
If you have existing hardware, there's a chance that it might work with Lightspeed. However, the company doesn't guarantee anything.
It's worth noting that Lightspeed does not offer integration with weighing scales, so if you're looking for that kind of hardware – for a grocery store or similar – you'll be better off finding another provider.




Setup and Customer Support
Lightspeed offers 24/7 live support via phone and email, with only a handful of other POS vendors offering similar levels of support. Lightspeed offers live chat but only for sales inquiries, not account or technical support.
Lightspeed also includes live onboarding sessions for new clients to help them get started.
In addition, webinars can walk users through the Lightspeed interface, while a customer forum allows users to ask and answer questions as a community. The company's YouTube channels include video tutorials as well.
Support & Training
Support options
- Phone
Training options
- Community forum
- Webinars
- Online videos
Tech.co Rating Score out of 5 based on Tech.co's independent market research. | Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Transaction fees | iPad app Is there a version of the software made specifically for iPad use? | Android app Is there a version of the software made specifically for Android tablet use? | 24/7 support | Hardware | Tech.co verdict | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lightspeed | Shopify POS | Vend POS | Square POS | ||||||
3.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | ||||||
$29 per month | $99 per month | Free (but transaction fees apply) | |||||||
|
| No transaction fees |
| ||||||
Sold by Lightspeed. NOT compatible with weighing scales. | Sold by Shopify, but also works with iPads and Android tablets | Works with loads of third-party periperals | Sold by Square, available separately or packaged with software. Works with most leading brands and has a great free trial. | ||||||
A trustworthy choice to strengthen your business | A great all-round POS solution that excels for online stores | A super flexible service which will work for almost any business | A brilliant POS system for any type of business |
Lightspeed is more expensive than its competitors, which might put some people off.
However, while you will have to pay extra, Lightspeed does bring fantastic till features and excellent inventories. Plus, the company is continually bringing extra features to bear with its recent acquisitions.
Verdict: Lightspeed POS
Lightspeed's pricing might be a little above the norm, but its strong feature set and ease of use still make it a viable option.
Lightspeed would make a decent choice for any retail business with complex inventories that needs an easy to set up POS system.
To make sure Lightspeed POS is the best fit for your business, why not try it out, free of charge, for 14 days. You'll be under no obligation to stick with it if it doesn't work for you, either.
Lightspeed FAQs
Let's take a look at the internet's most widely asked questions about Lightspeed.
Most businesses will likely need the Standard plan, which costs $119 per month when billed annually. Extra terminals cost $29 per month.
Once set up, Lightspeed syncs with QuickBooks every night to make sure that your accounts are always up to date.
Of course, Shopify does offer its own POS platform as well.
Tech.co is reader-supported. Using Tech.co's comparison form, you can receive quotes from various suppliers, tailored to the needs of your business. If you enter into a contract with a provider, we may receive a payment for the introduction. Equally, if you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Tech.co to provide free advice and reviews. It carries no additional cost to you, and doesn’t affect our editorial independence.